Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, My soul and body also

Psalm 31:12

How do you answer if someone asks, “How are you?” My guess is that the better the relationship you have with the asker the more candid, and perhaps raw, the answer.

If that is correct, imagine the relationship the psalmist has with God! The above first verse is followed by another four which includes the follow gem.

I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.

Psalm 39:13

God does need us to put on pretenses or mince words. In fact, the only person being fooled by answering God with a “fine” to the question “how are you” is us.

I have not made it a secret that I write my prayers. For I have trouble focusing if I pray in my head and not on a piece of paper. Although these pages are never intended for public consumption and will not be viewed by anyone else, I still have trouble when I write something that seems overly pessimistic about where I find my heart. Why do I feel the need to hide my feelings from God? Who is that helping?

God is big enough to hear our hearts cry out without getting sucked into our orbit. God is compassionate enough to hear our hearts cry out and not leave or think less of us. God is powerful enough to hear our hearts cry out and do something about it.

So let us take a cue from the psalmist and tell God like it is with us.